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• slow motion
  slow motion

  noun

  the process or technique of filming or taping a motion-picture or television sequence at an accelerated rate of speed and then projecting or replaying it at normal speed so that the action appears to be slowed down.
• slow-motion
  slow-motion

  adjective

  of, pertaining to or made in slow motion.

slow motion

¹ American  

noun

1. the process or technique of filming or taping a motion-picture or television sequence at an accelerated rate of speed and then projecting or replaying it at normal speed so that the action appears to be slowed down.

2. the effect thus created.

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slow-motion ² American  

[sloh-moh-shuhn] / ˈsloʊˈmoʊ ʃən /

adjective

1. of, pertaining to or made in slow motion.

   a slow-motion replay.

2. moving or proceeding at a strikingly slow rate.

   slow-motion progress toward a settlement.

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slow motion British  

noun

1. films television action that is made to appear slower than normal by passing the film through the taking camera at a faster rate than normal or by replaying a video tape recording more slowly

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adjective

1. films television of or relating to such action

2. moving or functioning at less than usual speed

Etymology

Origin of slow motion¹

First recorded in 1920–25

Origin of slow-motion²

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

slow motion slow-motion

But to show a live-action dancer partnering an animated figure in an entirely painted landscape as autumn leaves swirl in slow motion around them was another feat altogether.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

Claus had watched the replay in slow motion, allowing him to see what wasn’t apparent at game speed.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026

In the corner, Lionel Messi was moving almost in slow motion, his arms methodically swinging against an imaginary tide.

From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026

That said, watching the sweet-and-sour sauce flying in slow motion is actually quite amusing.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2026

The rest of the afternoon unwinds in slow motion.

From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed

By the end it does manage to suggest — with the team walking four abreast toward the camera in slow-motion — a workable future for the franchise.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026

A slow-motion collapse in South Korea’s Kospi index erased $2.5 trillion in value, burning investors who bet on the AI boom.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

The Japan story is a slow-motion version of the same squeeze.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026

"On too many occasions cameras are zoomed in, showing super slow-motion action replays of athletes in undignified positions."

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026

The “Social Studies and Science Interdisciplinary Block” arrives like a slow-motion steamroller.

From "The Benefits of Being an Octopus" by Ann Braden